The present invention relates to a mounting bracket for installation on boats to permit various and sundry items to be removably secured to the boat for use by persons in the boat.
Leisure boats are frequently used by the owners for multiple purposes such as, for example, fishing, pleasure riding, towing skis and the like. Obviously, in such varied environs, various accessories may be desirably applied temporarily to the boat to facilitate fishing or other needs, though primarily fishing. It is likewise important to be able to readily remove such items from the boat when not needed and when the boat is to be used for other than fishing.
Accessories as generally set forth above include many items that are used routinely in fishing such as, for example, rod holders, trolling motor supports, lantern holders for night fishing, and the like. These and many other items are useful in the fishing operation to ease the burdens of the fishermen and/or to facilitate an improved fishing experience. By way of example, when night fishing, it is desirable, if not necessary, that some sort of an arrangement be provided from which a lantern or light can be suspended over the water to either attract fish or to afford light by which the fisherman can more readily bait a hook, remove a fish, net a fish, or the like. Such a device is taught in my U.S. Pat. No. Des. 285,124.
In a fishing mode, boats are frequently equipped with small trolling motors for use after the boat has reached a particular location where a slow speed trolling operation is to be achieved. Normally, the boat would be equipped with a primary, larger motor for driving the boat on the body of water, and with a smaller trolling motor mounted forward along one side of the boat to be used in the slow speed, trolling operation. In instances when the trolling motor is not needed, due to its mounting structure, it may be pivoted upwardly out of the water and maintained on the boat. In such instances, it is desirable to provide a further support for an end of the motor which will hold the end of the motor off of the transom, etc. of the boat and will alleviate vibration of the motor which could be experienced during normal movement of the boat. An example of such a mount for a trolling motor is set forth in my U.S Design application, Ser. No. 07/513,196, filed Apr. 23, 1990.
Likewise, in certain types of fishing, it is desirable, once the line is cast to simply secure the rod to the boat, leaving same unattended until a fish strikes. Rod holders, therefore, not only enable the fisherman to go about other duties while awaiting a strike, but also permits the use of multiple rods by a single fisherman. An example of such a rod holder is set forth in my U.S. Pat. No. Des. 283,909. Likewise there are various and sundry other items that may be necwssary or desirable for mounting on a fishing or pleasure craft to achieve a particular end.
With each of the items mentioned above, it is desirable that each be capable of removable securement to the boat. Such permits the items to be taken off and stored during transport of the boat to and from the body of water as well as use of the boat on the water for pleasurable activities where the items if mounted to the boat could interfere with the activities, pose safety hazards, and the like. Each of the items is thus desirably removably mounted to the gunnel or gunwale of a boat so as to be easily placed in position for intended use and easily removed after such use.
Various and sundry types of devices and techniques have been employed for the removable securement of accessories to a boat. In some instances, the gunwale of the boat is adapted during or after manufacture so that accessories of the types noted above may be removably secured thereto. By way of example, prior attempts include the permanent securement by bolting, adhesives, implanting, and the like of mounting brackets to the gunwale of a boat or a portion thereof such that the appurtenances may be removably secured thereto. My prior U.S. Pat. No. Des. 301,383 illustrates such a permanent mounting bracket. While this bracket is excellent for its intended purpose, in any instance where the mounting bracket is permanently secured to the gunwale of the boat, not only is the user restricted in placement of the accessory, but also in a non-fishing or non-intended environment, the mounting brackets remain visible, and become an extraneous device along the general run of the gunwale which could be inadvertently contacted by occupants of the boat.
The mounting bracket according to the present invention overcomes certain of the problems discussed above in that not only is it removable from the boat along with the accessory to be mounted thereon, but likewise the bracket may be moved along the gunwale of the boat to a location as desired and secured there for the particular use of the accessory. The mounting bracket according to the present invention is particularly useful with a boat that has a caprail on the gunwale as depicted in FIG. 1. By way of example, such a device is provided on Dura Craft boats though the caprail type structure does not per se form a part of the present invention.
Moreover, while the Dura Craft boats may be obtained with accessories that mount along the gunwale and interrelate with the caprail such as a trolling motor bracket, such structures neither anticipate nor suggest the mounting bracket of the present invention. Likewise no other prior art is known which teaches or suggests the mounting bracket of the present invention.